This invention relates to purification of protein factors, present in tissue in extremely minute quantities, that induce proliferation of endothelial cells, particularly capillary endothelial cells; it also relates to purified factor, antibodies to purified factor, and to methods of detecting and using the factor.
In normal tissue, endothelial mitogenic factors are implicated in a variety of physiological functions, including wound repair. Such factors are released by tumor cells and are also implicated in tumor angiogenesis, the growth of new blood vessels from surrounding tissue into the solid tumor, which supply nutrients necessary for the tumor's continued development.
Endothelial mitogenic factors have potential application in controlling angiogenesis, and thus controlling growth of tumors. Other potential applications include providing treatment for vascular disorders and vascularization of damaged or implanted tissue.
A crude endothelial cell growth factor preparation can be recovered from hypothalamus cells as disclosed in Maciag et al. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257(10):5333-5336. The preparation includes ion exchange chromatography, but Maciag et al. do not report purification of ECG; for example, they do not report gels or silver staining of the preparation.